1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to the field of hand tools and more particularly to a combination square and level that is especially useful for pipefitting and welding applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many different carpenter's squares (or “squaring tools”) and pipe fitting tools have been developed over the years. Most of the innovations that have taken place for these tools involve improvements to adjustability, adding functional members (such as a laser-emitting diode), or generally making the tool easier to handle.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,872 by Moran discloses a pipe fitter's combination instrument that includes a rigid squaring tool and a slidable carriage means. The slidable carriage means holds an additional rigid bar, thereby imparting a sort of “caliper” function to the tool.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,782 issued to Johnson et al., discloses a level with a V-shaped bottom portion, magnets for sticking the level to a pipe, and a groove on the top planer portion of the level in which a “squaring member” may be placed. The “squaring member” illustrated in the figures of this patent consists simply of a standard two-dimensional carpenter's square.
While square and level tools of the related art are useful for their intended purpose, several problems remain. For example, the level of Johnson et al. requires the user to have a separate squaring tool. When used for a pipe-fitting application, the squaring tool may be difficult to locate (i.e., misplaced or lost) or awkward to place in the receiving groove when one is in the middle of a job or is moving around from pipe to pipe. Moreover, the combination instrument of Moran appears to be unnecessarily complicated for basic pipe-fitting applications, has multiple parts that can wear out or break, and cannot assist a user in holding a pipe in place during fitting or joint attachment (e.g., during welding).
In view of the above, it would be desirable to have an all-in-one tool that simultaneously provides a level and squaring function, that is especially useful for pipe-fitting applications, and that provides a holding function.